Tonle Bati

On weekends, Phnom Penh residents head for this small lake just a half hour's drive south on Highway 2. It has a beach with refreshment stalls and souvenir stands. Note that you'll encounter many beggars and children clamoring for attention here. The nearby, but more remote, Ta Phrom, a 12th-century temple built around the time of Siem Reap's Angkor Thom and Bayon, is less chaotic. The five-chambered laterite temple has several well-preserved Hindu and Buddhist bas-reliefs. Nearby is an attractive, smaller temple, Yeah Peau. Both temples are free and open to the public at all time. Phnom Tamao, Cambodia's leading zoo, is about 11 km (7 mi) farther south, but it's not worth a detour.